The Exemption of Guilt
by Angel Takashiro
Summary: Angela's on the run from one person and one person only; her serial killer father. Her father now rules over the city and Angela is afraid to go to the city. She'll need a little help from the students of the Arriute U, a cooking college in the forest.
1. Darkness

The Exemption of Guilt

Chapter 1: Darkness

I have one hour left to live.

My whole life has been to listen to the one person who provided my security.

Once I reared my head to justice, I turned back on the thing that comforted me the most and betrayed my comfort.

As a result, it's hunting me down and I have only an hour left to live.

My arms move back and forth as I run and I wouldn't stop until I can obtain the light of freedom, whether it is my entrance into Heaven or a new life.

Either way, I will be killed if I cannot decide one from the other.

I can only pray I make it to Heaven.

Or a better place.

Anywhere but here.

My running shoes have given me no restraints, and I can hear my feet hit the muddy road.

Each step becomes heavier, but if I stop now, I will lose my strength.

I run through the trees, carefully avoiding each branch or bush that may stall my path.

But there are even limits of running.

Like the cliff I stumbled upon.

A car's engine roars behind me and I turn my head to the side.

They've come for me.

Kill me.

Torture me.

Drag me back to the comfort I felt once.

They are talking, yelling.

They pull guns from under the pockets of their coats.

There's nowhere else to go.

I take another look over the cliff, turning my back for a second.

It's a long way down and there's a chance I will not survive.

But now I must decide.

The Cliff, which I may survive by chance.

Serious injuries will result and I'll escape death by my father's hands.

Or the Men, in which I will not survive.

Regardless, I will be destroyed Mentally, Emotionally and Psychologically.

And eventually, physically.

By my own father, a comfort and boiling pit to which I will never succumb to.

I want to live and survive.

He taught me how to survive on my own, so the choice now becomes clear.

I take a step back.

My feet can feel the crumbling of the rock underneath me.

My right heel is on the edge of the cliff and the air.

I hear the safety's click on the guns nearby.

Now it's time.

I took the leap of faith and leaned back.

The guns went off, the gunpowder being fired.

But the bullets had missed their target.

I was already feeling the wind slide against me sharply.

I'm falling.

My only hope is that I make the jump.

Alive.

"Damn it…just because I smoked near the school doesn't mean I have to do service hours in the forest. But they won't let me back in because you got caught too, Luke."

"Hehe…I forgot to watch guard. Sorry, Chase." Luke smiles and walks besides Chase. "Well, hopefully, we'll find something interesting."

"Yeah, but when does that ever happen? We're just supposed to pick up trash in the forest. Nothing excited ever happens." Chase pushes the tree bush away and looks at the ground. He sees a small necklace with an emerald charm on it. It held itself on a silver chain and the end of the chain is soaked red. Chase runs his fingers thorough the red liquid and licks the stain on his hand from the liquid. Luke notices Chase crouched down on the floor.

"What's up Chase?"

"This necklace…I've never seen it before. And this stain on it is blood. Something…or someone is injured." Chase looks down on the ground again, seeing a puddle blood leading to the bush. He puts the necklace in his pocket and pushes the bush away. He sees a girl crawling on the ground; her whole back bleached red with blood. Her right foot was elevated slightly and her breathing was irregular.

"Hey, it's a person!" The girl turned around quickly and saw both boys.

I woke up in a huge amount of pain. I was lying on my back and my right foot felt twisted. I slowly got up and as I touched my back, my hand became smeared with red. The pain stung with a thousand knives, never letting up for a single second. Despite my pain, I began to crawl away from the ground I was laying on. My hands brushed against the hard ground, dirty seeping underneath my fingernails. I tried to keep my foot elevated because it still hurt from the fall. I heard footsteps heading towards me, but I didn't dare to turn around. That is, until I hear the voice.

"Hey, it's a person!" The voice did not sound threatening and how the words were spoken that made me drop my guard. I turned around to see two men I was not familiar with. One of them had a light shade of blue hair while the other had a darker shade of orange. I began to back away slowly from both men, but the orange got closer.

"She's injured. From the looks of it, she might have fallen from somewhere. I want Jin to take a look at it." He reached out his hand towards me and I flinched away, even though he didn't touch me.

"Oh, she's scared. How about we give her some food?"

"How would that help, Luke?"

"Well, like at the zoo or with a pet. You give them food and they will come closer to you." I am not a pet or animal, but food does sound good about now.

"Alright, well, let's see what I have." He turns to his backpack and shuffles thorough his backpack. "Oh, I have the herb salad I made this afternoon. Maybe she'll like it?" He took out a bowl and I stare at the scrumptious offering. I took the bowl and take the fork he hands me. I make a disgusted face because it hate the ingredients, but I still stuff it down my throat anyway.

"Wow…she's really eating it. She ate it so much so fast…" Luke smiled.

"Well,…" Chase looks directly at me. "I'd love for you to come with us. There's more food and security…let me take you there." He reached his hand out towards me. I licked the food off my fingers and I watched him unfazed. I look at the hand and his face, my head going back and forth. In a daze, I took his hand and let him carry me bridal style. I snuggled my head closer to his chest, feeling the warmth engulfing me. The loss of blood has begun to impact me, and I begin to lose my consciousness.

I don't know where I'm going.

I don't know how this story will end.

There's only one thing I know.

I have to survive.

I have to live.

And save Julius…from my father.


	2. Situation

Exemption of Guilt

Chapter 2: Situation

"Julius?" I looked around for my dear friend of many years. The darkness was more than frightening to me than my friend. I continued to call out his name, but I get no response. I go to the ground and I hit the ground with all of my might. The ground cracks underneath me and I fall. Screaming at the top of my lungs, I wake up from my dream. The sweat glistened on my brow and my eyes were wide open. I was lying face down on a bed. I slowly got up and I winced in pain. "How…Where…?" I look around and my eyes feast on a chair right next to me. The orange-haired boy I saw earlier is sleeping on the chair. I feel my neck and notice me necklace is gone. Reeling my fist back, I punch the orange-haired guy in the cheek and knock him out of his chair. He falls to the floor harshly and the chair goes with him. In his confusion, I jump on him and have my hands on his shoulders.

"Ow! What the…" He wakes up in surprise and stares straight at me. "Ummm…you're awake."

"My necklace. Where is it?"

"What?"

"My necklace. It should have been nearby. Did you pick it up?"

"Umm…" His face was flushed. "I…I did pick up something nearby…"

"What pocket is it in?"

"My…My right pants pocket." Pressing my body against him, my hand slithers down and reaches into his pocket. I feel around, not noticing the guy trying to squirm out from under me. Once I obtained my necklace and put it on, I took a second look at him. He couldn't stare me straight in the eye and I being on top of him made him more nervous.

"Who are you and where am I?"

"I'm Chase…Chase Liven. This is…the Arriute University for men. You're in the doctor's office."

"So…I'm a girl…stuck at an all boys' college…" I contemplate about my situation.

"Um…If I may say something…" The guy underneath me sputtered out. "You're…ummm…"

"I'm what? Dominant? Weird? Aggressive?"

"You're…you're barely wearing anything…" I look down at my body. Sure enough, I was only wearing black spandex and my chest was covered by bandages.

"You!" I gripped him by the collar. "Where are my clothes? What have you done with them?"

"Nothing! In order to help cover your wounds better, we had to remove your clothing! You've been sleeping for two days already! We didn't know when you'd wake up!"

"Is that all?" I looked into his eyes and forced his eyes to look straight at me. "So…you're not lying. Alright, then." I slowly got off of him and made my way towards the bed. I flinched in pain as my back began to ache and the guy got up immediately.

"I'll let them know you are awake, then. Please, try not to leave this room."

"I won't." He smiles contently and leaves. Once he leaves, I gingerly walk towards the window and look outside. Males played football, some were walking around the campus and others walked into the forest. From my view, there was a football field and another school building outside. I pried open the window and the cool breeze of fresh, clean air hit me like a newly-lit candle. I took in the peacefulness of the moment and began to smile. But it was then that I remembered how I got here. I was cornered, after Julius sacrificed himself to save me. I thought back on everything and how it all crumbled in a matter of months.

3 months ago.

_I walked home after school while the daylight still lit the streets. I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and I look at the caller I.D. It's Julius, so I pick up the phone. "Hello?"_

"_Angela? Did you hear the news?"_

"_What news?"_

"_Angela, you need to get home quickly. I'm at your house. We have to talk. NOW."_

"_What's wrong Jewels? What's so—" I hear the sharp squeal of tires right behind me. I turn around only to find a black car behind me. I get a shiver down my spine and I walk faster away from the car. The car steadily follows me and my instincts turn on. I begin to run down the street with the car roaring behind me. I turn sharply into the busiest cross streets. Camouflaging into the crowds of men and women, I duck into a store and the car briefly loses sight of me. I quickly run to the back of the store and run across the parking lot. However, the car manages to get into the parking lot and it steps on the gas. It's coming straight at me, so I duck in between the cars. This stalls the car for the time being, but I know I must get away. Hastily running away, I manage to get out of their sight range long enough to escape and make it home. As I make it to the steps of my house, I catch my breath as I come up to Julius._

"_You never hung up the phone. I heard cars. Did you get chased?"_

"_Yeah…I was chased…by a black car." I wheeze and pant. "How…did you know?"_

"_Listen, Angela. Your father is…"_

"_My father?" My ears perked up and suddenly breathing was no longer relevant. "Did he…"_

"_He escaped from prison and has been terrorizing people left and right. I am surprised you were able to get away. "_

"_But…But he was supposed to be put to death today! How…"_

"_He must have called reinforcements. Right now, the police department's been scrambled and everyone is now a suspect for possibly getting him out." Julius took out a cigar and struck a match. After lighting the cigar, he puffed a couple of times and then breathed out smoke, taking the cigar away for a moment. "You know what's going to happen, don't you?"_

"_He's…He's coming after me, isn't he…"_

"_Yes, and we know why. The police want to put you under the protection system, although I doubt it will do you any good. In fact…" He takes another inhale and exhales the smoke slowly. "It will only confirm your location to him. If there really is a bug in the police department, the last thing you need is attention. Or rather, the request for help."_

"_Jewels, what should I do? I hate him…and he already knows I testified against him and confirmed all of the women he's killed in his past. What's to stop him from killing me, too?"_

"_He doesn't know your location. After you testified, I took the liberty of erasing your files, remember? No one by the name of Akari Tetsubo exists. There is, however, an Angela Burberry who exists. As long as he doesn't dig up that information, you're still safe…for now. He may have seen you, but it will take him a while to find your address or anything about you. Since those files no longer exist, it makes everything harder." He takes another smoke and drops the cigar to the ground. He squashes the embers with his foot and starts to walk away. "You probably should start packing, thought. You never know how long it will be before he finds you again. I'll do whatever I can to stall it, but…remember I cannot always be there to help you." He turns to look at me. "I'll make sure he doesn't find you, Aka. I promise." His goofy smile makes me laugh and it almost makes me forget the task at hand. _

_But as the months pass by and accidents become more frequent, I became afraid. Afraid to step out of my house. Afraid to call Julius. Afraid of people in general. It was the third month of the harassing and stalking when I had received a call from Julius. "Hello?"_

"_You cannot run forever, my sweet Akari." That voice…_

"_You bastard! What have you done with Julius?" I yell into the cellular device._

"_Oh, nothing yet. But, I do have quite a few things on my list especially for you and him. The only one thing you commonly share is…death."_

"_Don't listen to him, Aka! Get out of this city while you can!" Julius' voice screams for behind and Angela can hear his voice. I then hear a gun shot and a grunt from Julius._

"_Julius! Let him go, you old man!"_

"_Ah, but he has not yet fulfilled his purpose: giving your currently location to me. Now, my sweet Akari, won't you let your papa pick you up?"_

"_NO! You are a twisted and sick person! I cannot trust you at all!"_

"_Ah, but you did once. Why shouldn't you trust me again?"_

"_No! I…I won't let you fool me!"_

"_What can I do to regain your trust again? What would you like? A boyfriend? Maybe a friend? Money, perhaps?"_

"_There is nothing you can offer me that will have me coming back to you. I wouldn't come back to you by any means."_

"_Then, let's play a game together. If my men find you within the next hour, I will be seeing you once again, dear Akari. If they do not, however, and you manage to escape this city, then your death will be delayed until I can relocate you. You know exactly with to do, sweet Akari. The time will start now. Goodbye, Akari sweetie."_

"_NO! I need to talk to—" All I could hear was the dull beep of a disconnected call. Fear and adrenaline ran through my body. _An hour? How can I find anywhere to hide or escape in an hour? I cannot go on a plane because he's probably got security there. If I go anywhere electronic, he will surely track me down mercilessly. Then, maybe…the forest! There are plenty of places to hide there! But it's so far away from the city…I'll have to distract them somehow…_thirty minutes after, I executed the plan and successfully made it to the forest trail. But even with my traps, they continued to chase my down the trail and chase me with their cars .I was able to lose most of them because of the trees, but it wasn't soon after I found the cliff and made my choice._

Present

I wished that I would have saved Julius first, but I would need back up to get into the city. That would be impossible in my current state, with the bleeding back and the twisted ankle. I felt a stare on me as I went towards the window. A blond wearing the uniform, which appears to be a suit and slacks, gazes upon me. I retreat back to the room once our eyes meet. I shut the window and pull swiftly on the curtains. I would be a terrible thing if I was exposed now. I limped back to the bed and sat down. Soreness ran through my body and I could hear the stomping of feet nearby. I slowly turned around to see the ginger open the door along with his blue-haired friend and a black haired man. I assumed the one with black hair was the doctor.

"See? She's awake." The orange blushed.

"Well, now I can reexamine your back." The doctor steps closer and I flinch ever so slightly. He notices and backs a bit. "Uh…Chase, I'm not particular sure how to handle this kind of patient…"

"What? Because she's a girl? C'mon, you touched her early when you were checking her wounds, right?" I've picked up that the orange one is named Chase. I vaguely remember the blue one being called Luke.

"She seems hesitant. She'll probably fight me off or assault me. Someone has to distract her. I cannot work on her like this."

"Jin, how about we let Chase do it? He might be able to distract her. After all, don't you always have some food, Chase?" My ears perked up. I slightly turned towards Chase and realize that there's a better aroma of a food around him.

"EH? Aren't you better at distracting, Luke?" He turns fully away from me and his motion shows me his back. I gently get up, to Jin's surprise and I hug Chase from behind. He stiffens up in my hug and turns his head around to take in the scene. I begin to sniff his backpack and look at him.

"Chase…I want you. You smell like food…"I hug him tighter and a huge blush invades his face. Luke simply laughs and the doctor lounges over to the bed.

"Uh…Chase, she's clearly interested in you. I can operate on her like this, but you'll have to bring her back to the bed. I need to do a full examination."

"AL…Alright! Umm…" He slowly picks me up bridal position and sets me down on the bed. My arm grips onto his arm, not letting go. He gets the container out for me and I eye it lustfully. Under my uncomfortable stare, he pulls out a fork and opens the container. The spaghetti covered in a marinara sauce looks so appetizing to me and I begin to wolf it down. I release Chase's arm and he escapes over to Luke. I feel the knife-stabbing pain from my back as the doctor cuts away the bandages and disinfects the wounds. I realized that he has to re-apply the bandages and that my old bandages are the only thing covering my bare chest. I get nervous and I see the bandage roll from the corner of my eyes. Without another thought, I bat away the bandages from the doctor and watch it fall near Chase and Luke.

"Umm, miss…I have to re-apply the bandages…" I kick him off the bed with my good foot and send him to the floor. While he is confused, I leave the old bandages on the floor and take the blanket from the bed to cover my chest up. The action is too jerky and the movements cause my necklace to loosen from my neck and fall to the floor. Chase picks it up again and I panic.

"My…My necklace! Give it back!" I make a movement towards him, but he simply backs away.

"Let the doctor put on the bandages, and I'll give it back to you."

"But…I don't want the doctor touching me…especially there…" I blush slightly and he blushes back in understanding.  
>"Yeah, but if we don't cover it up again, it will just reopen. Let the doctor—"<p>

"It has to be you."

"Huh?" They all look at me weirdly. The doctor sighs a bit, not sure what to do and picks up the bandages.

"Only Chase can put on my bandages. No one else."

"I-Idiot! The doctor is more suited because he's certified and knows what he's doing." His face turns a dark red.

"Is it because…you've never touched a girl before? Your face says it all, Chase…" I take another step towards him.

"Chase, this is the chance of a lifetime! Take her offer and do the bandages for her!"

"But Luke, I—"

"See ya later, lover birds!" He drags the doctor out and silence fills the room. Chase sighs heavily and grabs the bandages from off the floor.

"This is bothersome, you know that? You should have let the doctor continue."

"His intentions…I don't feel good around him. Don't trust him."

"And you trust me…why?"

"Food. You always have it. You seem naïve: no bad vibes from you. No hidden intentions."

"But I…Well…" Chase sighs again. "I'll do it, since those two are gone already." I sit down on the bed and let the blanket down. He hesitates, but he successfully wraps the bandages. He becomes nervous as it gets closer to my breasts. I grip his hand gently and help him wrap that area well. Once he reaches my lower back, he ties the bandage in the back and levitates my foot using a pillow. He returns my necklace and I thank him. With an apparent nose bleed, he takes a napkin and begins to leave.

"Chase." I call out to him. He turns his head towards me. "Thank you."

"It-It-It was nothing! Don't mention it!" He rushes out the door and slams it behind him. I am left in the silence of the doctor's room and sleep pulls at my eyelids. I allow myself to succumb to the desire and waltz into slumber.


End file.
